Soft Pretzel Rolls
Out of the oven these soft pretzel rolls are perfectly puffy and wonderfully salty and chewy. They look like they come from a gourmet bakery!
So I know I tend to be a bit dramatic about food, but I kid you not, these soft pretzel rolls are one of the best breads to ever come out of my kitchen.
And I’ve made a lot of bread over the years.
Brian didn’t even believe I actually made these (rude!) because they look like something that would come from a gourmet bakery or fancy restaurant, neither of which happen to be in big supply in my cute little town.
In his defense, I do have to admit that even I let out a real, live squeal of joy when I first made these and they came out of the oven looking like, well, pretzel rolls!
Rich, dark brown color, perfectly puffed and wonderfully salty and chewy. I promise that not only are these absolutely makeable (not nearly as hard as you think, I promise!), they will solidify instant rockstar status. I’m not kidding…just look at them.
I just looked and now I want to eat 50 right this minute.
I’ve included a step-by-step below for anyone a little hesitant about delving into the world of pretzel rolls (don’t be hesitant!).
Boiling the dough in a baking soda water bath prior to baking gives the pretzel rolls a delightfully chewy texture and helps crisp up the outside of the roll while baking.
And can I just emphasize again for the sake of emphasizing that: oh my heavens, these rolls are amazing.
Through the many revisions of this recipe, we’ve enjoyed these babies with everything from soup to spaghetti to buns for sandwiches and grilled hamburgers.
Well, that’s when any of the rolls actually make it to mealtime. Most often, we gobble these perfectly perfect pretzel rolls up after they exit the oven and our favorite way to enjoy them is slightly warm with a thick wedge of sharp cheddar cheese.
Rockstar status, baby, rockstar status.
One Year Ago: Glazed Chocolate Chip Scones
Two Years Ago: Hearty Turkey and Bean Chili
Three Years Ago: Autumn Minestrone Soup
Amazing Soft Pretzel Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 cups warm milk, about 100-110 degrees F
- 1 ½ cups warm water, about 100-110 degrees F
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 ½ – 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Water Bath and Extras:
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup baking soda
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can do this by hand in a large bowl), stir together the yeast, oil, milk and water. Add the salt and two cups of the flour. Add the rest of the flour gradually until a soft dough is formed and knead for 3-4 minutes. You may not need to use all the flour depending on many different factors (see the note) – add the flour until a soft dough is formed that clears the sides of the bowl. It is similar in texture to bagel dough and should be slightly more stiff and less sticky than, say, roll dough, but definitely still soft and not overfloured.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- Portion the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece of dough into a lovely little round ball. Here’s a great tutorial on how to do that quickly and efficiently.
- Lay out the rolls on lightly greased parchment or a lightly floured counter. Make sure the dough balls won’t stick! Let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
- While the dough rests, bring the water, sugar and baking soda to a boil in a large 5-6 quart saucepan.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, carefully take it off the parchment or counter, flip it over in your hand and pinch the bottom to form a little pucker and help the dough form a nice, taut ball. Take care not to deflate the dough; you should pinch just the very edge of the dough.
- Place 3-4 dough balls in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side (the longer you boil, the chewier the baked pretzel roll will be).
- With a spatula, remove the dough from the boiling water and let the excess water drip off into the pan. Place the boiled dough balls onto lined baking sheets (lined with lightly greased parchment or a silpat liner).
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using a very sharp knife or razor, slice 2-3 cuts into the top of each unbaked roll about 1/4-inch deep or so. It’s important to use a very sharp blade so that it cuts the dough without deflating it. It’s ok if the dough looks wrinkly and kind of funny. It will work itself out during baking. Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with coarse salt.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until the rolls are deep golden brown. These rolls definitely taste best the same day they are made; however, lightly warmed in the microwave for a few seconds will do wonders for pretzel rolls 1-2 days old.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (originally inspired by many versions online that made me decide to create my own variation; I wanted more milk in the dough than water, different amount of salt and instant yeast, simpler method for mixing the dough, among many other factors)
335 Comments on “Soft Pretzel Rolls”
So, so good and picture perfect!!! I ended up using more flour than what was called for in the recipe, but I followed the guide rather than the measurement.
I will def be making these a LOT more!
WHOA, THESE WERE AMAZING!!! Definitely keeping this recipe and making again and again.
So easy and so good! These get devoured every time I make them. Another wonderful recipe from this amazing site! Thanks Mel!
I made these today. They are delicious! I’m not great in the kitchen, but I’ve decided to cook and bake more at home. As far the recipe goes, I didn’t have instant yeast so I used active yeast, and I used bread flour. And I don’t think I left the buns in the oven long enough to brown more. I was scared I’d burn them. Haha. Good news is EVERYONE in my large family devoured the pretzel rolls. Great recipe which I will make again for sure!
The dough turned out perfectly but the end result wasn’t as good as I was hoping. It wasn’t chewy like a traditional pretzel and it wasn’t as light and fluffy as a roll. I don’t think I’ll make them again but it was fun to try!
Of all the pretzel bun/roll recipes I’ve tried this one is hands down the best. Always super soft with a great flavor. I’ve made these for friends, family, pot lucks with beer cheese. Mini sliders. So many ways to enjoy them.
First time ever making break, cut the mix in half but could have left the same for extras, Was super easy and shocked myself when they came out almost perfect.
Thanks
This is my 1st ever review & u must say, this is a terrific recipe!!
I haven’t made these yet planning in doing so very soon.. However I have a question I want to make sandwich size rolls, how many will I get from the recipe
It’s hard to say since I don’t know exactly how big you want the sandwich rolls to be? If you make each roll out of 3-4 ounces of dough you might get about 10 or so?
I make soft pretzels from a Lancaster County recipe and can freeze dough after it’s formed into pretzels, before boiling and baking. These rolls look great. Am going to try for a get together. Probably better though freezing after boiling and baking. Has anyone tried? Can I take them out of freezer and put in a low oven to thaw and warm?
I have only ever frozen these after they’ve been baked and cooled – it works great!
Can I use all purpose flour instead of bead flour
Yes. They’ll be a bit less chewy, but it should still work fine
the recipe I’m looking at calls for AP flour. Would I use the same amount of bread flour? I’m new to using different types of flour – just want to be sure I’m doing it properly
Yes, you can usually sub in the same amount of bread flour for all-purpose flour in certain types of bread recipes.
I like to sub a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour when I don’t have bread flour on hand
Didn’t pinch them perfectly, and I need a better system for boiling them for the same amount of time, but they tasted like giant soft pretzels. Gonna make these again
Tasted good, but did not get the golden brown color on the outside, needed eggwash?
My dough was really sticky after I let it rise for two hours and the balls didn’t hold their shape 🙁 I used 7 cups of flour. Should I increase to 7.5 or 8 cups of flour next time? Did anyone else have this issue. Hoping to retry. Thank you!
Definitely judge the finished dough by texture and feel and not by the amount of flour added (so many factors can impact this like elevation, humidity, how we each measure flour, etc). Sounds like you can definitely get away with adding more flour and still be ok. Good luck if you try them again!
Can you freeze these and do they still taste as fresh and delicious?
Yes, they freeze great.
These were the BEST! I flattened some them a bit for burger buns.
Also, I am at high altitude,7200 feet, so only use 2 teaspoons of yeast and made a firm dough.
‘
I just started baking and I was wondering. How many packets of yeast is a tablespoon?
One packet of yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoons. So one packet is a bit less than a tablespoon.
Absolutely perfect! Thank you.
Made these tonight to have as hamburger buns–turned out fantastic! Formed the buns a little larger based on your other videos, and still got 9 buns after I cut the recipe in half. I was nervous about over-salting the top but I’m glad I put on a good amount. The salty taste was amazing.
I made these tonight, just a half recipe. They were fantastic. We all just ate it plain, it’s perfect by itself. Thanks for posting this recipe
Can you freeze these and if you have they still taste fresh?
I froze half of mine. I thawed all of them on the counter for a few hours before I was ready to use them, then heated individually in the microwave for ~10 seconds. They were delicious.
Great rolls! They are so good! We were short on time, but the bake and rise time were perfect! Thank you so much! Also, I need to try that dairy free alternative 🙂
I made them with my sourdough starter the other day and it came out fantastic! I still added a little yeast but I cut back on the milk a little and added 1/2 cup of my starter. I also added a little sugar to my dough as I had in the past with another pretzel recipe. You might need extra four when you knead the dough to get the right consistency. I should note that I cut the recipe in half because 16 rolls were just too many for us. We served them with homemade soup and they were fantastic.
I can’t wait to Make these- I have my own sourdough starter I would like to use instead of dry yeast. Do you know if I can substitute and how much?
I haven’t tried it and I’m sorry I can’t give a good answer (I don’t want to lead you astray!)
Hello! Is there a point in the recipe where I can make ahead to finish the actual cooking the following day?
You can make the dough the night before and probably even form them into rolls and refrigerate to boil and bake the next day. I wouldn’t boil them one day and bake the next.
I used sourdough starter without yeast. If you’re sourdough is a 1:1 ratio, then if using 1c of starter reduce flour by 1/2c and water by 1/2c. Your rise time will be longer – at least 4 hrs, maybe longer. Mine was longer. Happy baking!
They turned out lovely. I just should have thought to also do an egg wash so that they were shiny and pretty. I think that is the only thing missing!
So excited to make these! I’m dairy free though, have you tried them with non-dairy milk? If so, which kind would you recommend? I was going to try almond milk as I’ve had good luck cooking with it, but wonder if oat milk would be better since it’s creamier? Would love any thoughts. Thanks so much!
Hi Lara, I haven’t tried these dairy free – I’m sorry! I think if you’ve had good success using almond milk in other recipes, I’d stick with that!
Lara, let us know if you tried almond milk – I’m also curious!
I’ve just made these with oatmilk, and they worked well! I’ve baked with other alternative milks in the past and haven’t had issues, so imagine almond would be fine!
I used almond milk and YUM!
Hi Lara, I’m vegan and cook and bake with oat milk. I found I like it best out of all the alternatives. It seems to have less bitterness and flavor than almond or soy milk. I do the same amount that any recipe has for regular milk.
Made these and although good, they were very dense/heavy. When eaten as a roll just with butter and warm, awesome. But as a sandwich…not so much. What could I have done wrong?
Sometimes rolls and bread are dense if they haven’t been kneaded long enough or the dough has been overfloured. What was the consistency of the dough?
I don’t eat grains; however, hubby says the recipe is a keeper.
They looked like yours and smelled fantastic. Thank you for the recipe! Very easy and not too time consuming for a yeast risen roll.
EXCELLENT recipe! As something of a grass fed Angus aficionado, (raising it AND cooking it, but most of all EATING it!) I can say with certainty that, yesterday, these were the perfect rolls for grass fed beef sliders! And a real easy recipe, too! THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness, these were amazing and very easy to make!
These turned out just like the picture. It’s a quarantine baking miracle! I feel like a baking goddess. Thanks for the step by step pictures, they really helped!
Way to go, Mary!
I converted the measurements to grams and ended up with 30 rolls. Other than that, they came out great. I agree with the other commenter–the parchment paper didn’t need oiling. Unfortunately, I read that after the fact.
These turned out pretty good. I am not sure if you the parchment needs to be lightly oiled for baking because I found the bottom of them remained soft and slightly greasy. I also found it hard to pinch the bottoms.
Just wanted to add, I have made them for the second time. They are so good. I still have problems pinching the bottom though. I also baked without the oiled parchment and they came out much better. Wish there was a way to post a photo here.
Is there a way to use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast in this recipe?
Yes, use the same amount of active dry yeast and proof it in 1/4 cup water and a pinch of sugar until bubbly and then use in the recipe.
So soft and delicious! Will definitely make again. Made shredded honey mustard chicken sandwiches with these rolls, and family loved it.
One word… delicious!
These were absolutely DELICIOUS!!! It was my first time making pretzels and will definitely make more in the near future
Delicious rolls. All my family loves them. I am quite inexperienced with baking and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing with us this recipe.
I used 8 cups of flour for this recipe! I live in Wisconsin so I needed the whole amount of flour!
It was fun to make. I also put butter on top of the bread also! So good! Will totally make this recipe again!
Hi Mel,
I found your site on a search for pretzel bread recipes. The photos of your rolls were just what I was looking for. I haven’t made the rolls yet, but I have one question for you. Why don’t you use weight amounts of ingredients in your recipes? Going by weight would be much easier for amateurs to get the desired type of dough you describe.
Hi Joel, I use weight measures for most of my recipes posted in the last several years, but this is an older recipe I haven’t updated yet. Also, I’ve found with bread recipes that using an exact weight measure can be problematic for flour when it’s really the texture and feel of the dough that is paramount and the exact amount of flour can depend based on temperature, elevation, humidity, how everyone measures flour, etc. Hope that helps!
Delicious pretzel bread! Thank you for a great recipe. I am very inexperienced in the kitchen and I’m still amazed they turned out great 🙂
These rolls are a huge hit with our family. We dice them up in crouton sized pieces and use them in your stovetop stuffing recipe. Not sure which one my kids gobble up faster, a fresh pretzel roll or the Thanksgiving stuffing made with them (which is now one of their holiday favorites). Thanks for all your fantastic recipes!
Thanks, Kristy – I think I might change my mind and make that stuffing for Thanksgiving this year!
I baked them on a lightly oiled parchment and it is completely stuck to the bottom of every roll. Really disappointed. They taste good, not overly pretzel flavor but good.
Oh. My. Gosh. I just made these to make the croutons for your Cauliflower soup. I ALMOST just went to Trader Joe’s to buy pretzel rolls and SOOOO glad I didn’t. Wow wow wow. They look beautiful (totally surprised myself was not expecting mine to turn out pretty) and they are soooo good. My kids are going NUTS over them. I’m just hoping we have enough left for the croutons! Lol
You are amazing, Amanda!
Can I turn these into pretzel sticks , pretzel bites, and regular pretzels? Please let me know.
Yes, I think you could!
I make them into pretzel bites all of the time. They’re everybody’s favorite.
I made these today and swapped the milk for almond milk and did 4 cups whole wheat flour and 5 cups all purpose! They are beautiful and delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks for letting us know the almond milk worked!
Hi Mel . These look delicious.
Can I skip the sugar in the water bath. It might
Make the rolls sweet. I do not want sweet rolls.
And does instant yeast already have sugar
In it? Please let me know by e-mailing me at
midnight0675@frontier.com
Hi Heather – no, instant yeast does not have sugar in it. You can skip the sugar in the water bath but the pretzel rolls may not bake up with that nice golden crust (the sugar helps with that and doesn’t make the rolls taste overly sweet).
Am I right in assuming I’m not suppose to punch the dough down?
Hey Brian, the dough naturally deflates as you separate the dough into roll-size portions.
These pretzel rolls are truly amazing! Every family gathering I am asked to bring along a recipe or two.
These are so yummy. I’m glad they are a hit with your family!
These were an easy dough to make and baked up light (for a pretzel roll), chewy and delicious. Easy to follow instructions, many thanks. Surprised it only took one package of yeast for such a nice rise and 8 cups of flour. Made wonderful slider sandwiches for dinner.
The best recipe for pretzel rolls!! I make thesr when we’re having bbq pork sandwiches or beef.
My family and I LOVE, LOVE these rolls! I have to admit, the first time I made them, although they tasted good, they were not picture-perfect, but I’ve made them a few more times, and I don’t know what I’m doing differently, but they are beautiful picture-perfect rolls. I use dry-active yeast, since that’s what I have on hand, so I mix the warm water and yeast together, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. When I made these today, I actually weighed all the flour that I used, and it was 9 cups of flour (1104 grams). The dough was still soft and a little sticky, but not floury or too dry, so even though that’s different from your recipe, that’s what’s working well for me… which is so weird, since I live in a dry desert climate. I like brushing the UN-baked rolls with melted butter and then sprinkling them with Maldon salt. Then, after they come out of the oven, I brush them with more melted butter. These rolls are so fantastic and delicious! I’m SO happy I’ve discovered them. I love finding new, fun bread/roll recipes. This is definitely a recipe I will make again and again. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We make them almost every weekend and they are quickly becoming a favorite.
I love this recipe and they taste great!! I only have one issue and that is they never turn out like your picture no matter what I try (want them to look perfect also). They split open pretty bad no matter how I cut the tops or how long I let them rise or let them boil. What am i doing wrong?
Hi Mike – are they splitting on the side or the top?
Definitely a favorite at this house! I’ve made these now several times and had excellent results every time. I like to make mine a little smaller, so I can get about two dozen smaller rolls out of this recipe.
Hi Mel!
I plan to make these as part of Thanksgiving dinner.
Do you think I could make the dough ahead of time and stick in the fridge?
Thank you!
Kel
Yes! Should work just fine.
I’ve been making these with your recipe for gatherings for a few years now. You don’t exaggerate when you say “rockstar status”. I (and everyone else I’ve given them to) love them.
Glad you love the recipe, Mitch!
These are the best ever. They are now our family “dinner rolls” for all of our holiday meals.
This pretzel roll recipe is without a doubt the best recipe for bread rolls I have ever tried!! Thank you so much for sharing this! They smell and taste so good they make me smile!!!
Seriously over 60% of the food I make comes from your recipes! I couple of years ago, I tried making pretzel rolls and they were heavy, pale disasters, so I gave up! I stumbled on your recipe (which I should have checked for first) and made them today. SO amazing! My husband, who I greatly love but is in no shape or form a foodie, said that I should only ever make your food 🙂 You’re the only food blogger he’s on a first name basis with 😉
Thanks for the BEST winner!
Oh, Becky – you made my day with your comment! And don’t worry, it often pains me that Brian is not a foodie either (he’d eat hot dogs every day for the rest of his life if it weren’t for this ol’ food blog). I’m so happy these pretzel rolls were awesome!
They came out so yummy,!! I only half the amount of salt and didn’t add the salt on top, but when they came out of the oven I rub some butter on them.
I’ve made these before and have had great results. Unfortunately I almost never take notes on how much flour I end up needing, even though I almost always have to use more than Mel does (with all of MKC bread recipes, not just this one). I am a seasoned bread baker who uses a kitchen scale and I attribute the difference in flour needs to the high humidity where I live (east coast). That is my totally unscientific opinion. 🙂 Anyhow, today I am making one and a half times this recipe for a barbecue. I had to add 17.5 cups (!!) of flour before it would clear the sides and be workable with my hands without leaving them covered in dough. Yes, that’s more than double the flour amount and only 1.5 times the amount of liquids. Thankful for my huge Kitchen Aid! It handled it like a champ. Would definitely not recommend trying to increase this recipe unless you have a large capacity mixer.
Thanks for the feedback, Meg – I do think humidity levels make a huge difference! I live in a very dry climate, but when I lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which were more humid, I found I had to add more flour, too.
Man are these good! I’ve made pretzels before, but I love this recipe and making it into rolls is way simpler (which translates to faster). Great recipe! (I made these into Reubens twice for company so far and got rave reviews. I highly recommend making them. Just cut the rolls, slap on some Thousand Island – homemade is yummy – on the bottom half, put on some corned beef and swiss cheese, top with shredded cabbage and drizzle a mix of 5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard, and 2 tsp dried minced onions on the cabbage. Bake in 9 x 13 pan covered with foil for 30 min at 350 degrees. You will love – I promise!)
Just finished making these. Yum yum. And my daughter came down as I was dividing into sixteenths asking for the pizza I was making for dinner… my dough was not defrosted, so I said I would try a piece of this dough! She loved it!! Double win tonight!! Thank you.
Any better advice on storing? I am using them tomorrow. Don’t want to bag because of salt. Thinking of just leaving them on baking rack.
Yeah, I’d probably leave them out or lightly cover with a towel. Fun idea to use the dough for pizza!
Hi Mel,
I want to start by saying that a number of your cookie recipes are my go-to favorites. Great job on those!
Anyways, about two months ago I started my own wildly fermented rye sourdough starter, and it’s been a bit of an obsession of mine. My husband’s daily lunch usually consists of a pretzel roll or pretzel croissant sandwich. We live in Germany, so those are easily obtained at a bakery a short walk away, but I wanted to make some using my sourdough starter. Here are the modifications I made to your recipe to make delicious wild sourdough pretzel rolls.
Ingredients:
Replace instant yeast with 1 cup fed sourdough starter
Decrease warm milk to 1-1/2 cups
Decrease warm water to 1 cup
Other ingredients remain the same
Instructions:
The night before, mix together 4-3/4 cup flour, sourdough starter, warm milk, and warm water in a large bowl. Cover and let ferment in a warm place 14 – 16 hours.
After 14 – 16 hours, mix in the oil and salt. Then add 1 cup of flour.
Then continue on with your recipe from the sentence “Add the rest of the flour gradually until a soft dough is formed and knead for 3-4 minutes.” in the first step.
Thanks for these details, Emily!
Hi Emily and Mel,
I tried the sourdough modification this week and it worked really well, thanks to you both!
I had to go out while the second proof was occurring so I put the dough in the fridge for 4-5 hours and it was fine. I also had to add about 1.5 cups more flour, but as Mel says, it is about adjusting the dough consistency rather than actual amounts of flour.
Hi Mel,
I have been laid up in bed for the last couple of weeks and craving Big Soft Pretzels and most recipes your lucky to get 4 good size ones out of (when I say Big I mean Big) Yours were absolutely perfect I not only got 8 huge pretzels I got 8 buns as well and I didn’t have to increase the recipe at all!! They are so soft and moist inside and crisp chewy outside. I didn’t use the soda bath instead I used a Honey bath like a bagel so you get that sweet and salty then after they were baked I gave them a dip in melted butter and added a bit of sea salt (I had already doused them in kosher salt before baking) Like you I tend to change things a bit when I bake, I also added 2 cups of bread flour into the first 4 cups of AP to increase the gluten and make them a bit crisper on the outside (I also used a pan of water for steam on the bottom rack of the oven) Thank You so much for such a versatile recipe. I have done them to you instructions as well and they are delicious I now have a freezer full of pretzel rolls for the summer BBQs or a quick dinner
Hi Mel, just wondering, what happens if you use all water and no milk? Are they still soft and chewy? Making for a Lenten meal and the group does not eat dairy during this time.
Thanks!
The texture might be a little different, but it’s worth a try.
I love this recipe. I’ve used it for hamburger / slider buns, brat buns and I’ve made them into pretzel bite stuffed with cheese curds (it’s a Wisconsin thing) or chunks of cheese. Omg awesome! The key is to freeze the cheese before stuffing in the pretzel bites, reduce the boil time (literally put them in the water for a few seconds, flip them over and pull them out), I don’t put the cuts in the dough (too small) and reduce the bake time. I’ve also rolled the dough out into strips instead of small balls (like the ones stuffed with cheese), cut them into bite size pieces, boil and bake like above; then dipped them in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar mix. Serve with melted chocolate sauce, Nutella sauce or caramel sauce. My kids and their friends love those! Thanks for the dough recipe, the possibilities are endless with it. Very yummy.
These are soooo good! I do think I’ll brush them with butter next time after they are done baking. My husband and son were drooling over them. Lol I cut one 3 ways so we could sample one before eating some with a big salad for supper. I wrapped the remaining ones up tight to freeze for future meals. I forgot to let them rest for 15-20 minutes, but they turned out just fine and beautiful.
Oh. Em. Gee. With your wonderful directions, you just turned someone who had NEVER made buns before into a baking QUEEN! Thank you! We’re having pulled pork for dinner tonight and I can’t WAIT to surprise my family with these. Your bun rolling tutorial was just the ticket!
Yay!
Oh. My. Goodness. SO much fun! These turned out fantastic! And so easy! Thank you!
Hi Mel,
My husband not-so-subtley sent me the link to this recipe after a few pointed comments that ‘pretzel rolls sound REALLY good’. It’s New Years Eve over here in New Zealand so as requested I have rustled up a batch this morning,while he works on a slow-cooked pork shoulder – great teamwork!
We couldn’t help but try one fresh from the oven – so good!! They taste just like pretzels and have a lovely texture. Can’t wait to whack some pulled pork into them later this arvo and see how they’re received by our guests.
I realised as I took the last tray out of the oven that I had used ‘active yeast’ and you’ve called for ‘instant’ (which I think is Surebake in NZ, but I’m not 100% sure.) However they still turned out really good so I’ve been lucky this time! Next time, I’ll take your hint mentioned in a previous comment about getting the yeast underway first if I use the same yeast again.
These really are delicious and your recipe is perfect – I haven’t made bread since I was a wee girl helping my mum in the kitchen so I was apprehensive and nervous, but you have made a flawless, foolproof recipe and make me look good in the process.
Thank you so much for your beautiful blog & recipes! Happy New Year to you and your family – may 2017 be an excellent one for you all.
So glad they worked out, Sarah! Happy new year!
I absolutely love these rolls and my family always requests them at large gatherings. Any thoughts on freezing methods? Part cooked/ full cooked or after water bath?
I always freeze them after they’ve baked and cooled.
I made these yesterday. They came out great. I had no troubles with sticking, I just lightly brush my parchment with oil. They reheat lovely in the oven!
I’ve been making these rolls for a few years – they’re a favorite with friends and family! We typically use them for pulled pork sandwiches or black bean burgers. Yesterday, however, I was feeling creative and I made smaller rolls than usual (about 3 oz each), and when I started them on the second rise, I first stuffed them with a delicious ball of shredded cheese, spice sausage, and caramelized onions! After a 20 min rise, I boiled them and baked them like normal. They came out DELICIOUS! Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to feel extremely accomplished 🙂
Great recipe. I actually had to use about 9 cups of flour but they turned out amazing. We used them for pulled pork sandwiches but they were great just as is.
Mel, I love this recipe, these are A-MAZING!! I did have one problem that I tried to read to see if anyone else had but couldn’t find. My rolls stuck to my greased parchment paper and I actually had to end up cutting parts of the bottoms off (not that that deterred anyone from eating them :)) Suggestions?? can I bake then on silcone sheets?
Hi Tami – yes, you could bake them on silpat liners instead of parchment.
I tried this recipe for dinner and it was my first try on pretzel rolls. They turned out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi
I am using a convection microwave oven and the max temp is only 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius)Do you think it will work? Tks
I’ve never used an oven like that so I’m not sure; you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
I spent a snowy cold sunday night making these to go with our chicken cordon bleu! YUM!
This sounds so good, but I am curious do you let your yeast rise in warm water before mixing with the flour?
No because I use instant yeast and there’s no need to proof it first.
OK, so I made your pretzel rolls again for Thanksgiving. I love you. Happy sigh….
Baking is not my forte, but this one look easy. I might be able to do it, please pray for me… Lol. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Mel,
I made these rolls last night. Thanks for the recipe, they are fabulous. I doubled the recipe and it worked out fine. Cheers.
I just baked these, and they taste AMAZING. But, they’re not as pretty and smooth as yours. The outsides are blistered and uneven, sort of like a croissant. I had to bake them for 30 minutes to get them browned nicely. Do you think it’s my oven, or should I have boiled them longer? How important is the baking soda / water ratio? My water got very foamy.
I think it might be a different in oven – baking them for 30 minutes seems like too long. Is there any chance your oven bakes cooler than the actual temperature? I’ve found that if my rolls aren’t browning well on top, moving a rack above the middle position and baking them there can help that. You might want to cut back on the baking soda a bit – the water shouldn’t be overly foamy.
Oh Mel, you are making my life too hard!! Two soft pretzel recipes in the “best yeast breads” section?!? Would you suggest making this recipe or the othee chewy soft pretzel recipe? Which one is better??? Thanks!
They are both delicious! The chewy soft pretzels are more like mall-style pretzels while this recipe is like a soft pretzel slider bun.
Made these twice and the taste is awesome. They came out beautifully. The only complaint is that the crust is too chewy and when used for hamburgers, the burger and inside toppings scoot out of the bun while biting through the bun. Is there a way of making the top crust more supple? Maybe brushing butter on the top after baking?
I think the chewiness comes from boiling the dough (in part). You could try butter to see if that helps soften them up a bit. Good luck!
These are fabulous! No longer am I intimidated by pretzel making.
omg made these they are awesome trying them tonight with a garlic parmesan coating instead of salt
I made these pretzel rolls last night and they were so much fun and so delicious. Readers – like Mel said, don’t worry if the dough balls (after boiling) look like wrinkly little balls, they correct themselves in the oven just like she said. I used bread flour in place of all purpose flour because it has more protein, hence more gluten and a denser texture. I also added a Tbsp. of honey to help proof the yeast and add a hint of sweet. Thank you Mel for all your hard work in creating such a great tutorial!
Has anyone tried these as bread bowls? Would they work? Would I need to adjust temperature or bake time or both for these bigger rolls? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried them as bread bowls myself but I think they would work great. I’d add a few minutes onto the baking time but would keep the temperature the same.
Made these today and it was so easy and OMG they came out so delicious and perfect!
Marci –
After the first rise, I formed the dough into balls, wrapped them in saran wrap, and then put them in a ziplock bag to freeze them. I did not let them rise intentionally a second time, but some did more than others when I was getting ready to freeze them. They rose quite a bit in the oven when I baked them.
I think you could definitely flash freeze them first, which would probably help them keep a round shape better. Maybe put them on a cookie sheet, freeze until firm, and then wrap and freeze until ready to use.
Marlo,
So I’ve made my dough and froze them in balls. I did 100% white whole wheat with about 1/2 cup of wheat gluten and the dough was really soft so I’m thinking they’ll be awesome! You said you took them straight from the freezer and dropped them in the boiling water. How many balls of dough did you boil at a time? I’m worried that when I drop them in the water I’m gonna stop the boiling. Is that a problem?
I did take them straight from the freezer to the water – and did 3 or 4 at a time, depending on size. The boiling slows briefly when I add them, but never really stops entirely. I make sure that the water is in a full boil before beginning and I’ve not had trouble. They boil until just about thawed – anywhere from 6-8 minutes. I usually turn them over a couple times while they are boiling to help them thaw evenly. It works great for me — good luck!
I’m so excited about the frozen dough method Marlo mentioned above. These are hands down my favorite roll recipe on your site, they’re just a bit more involved so I make them very rarely. Have you ever used any whole wheat in them and do you think it would be a total failure to try with 100% whole white wheat flour?
Marci —
I routinely make them with 1/2 to 3/4 white whole wheat flour — and they are delicious. A little hearty, but we are used to whole wheat breads. 🙂 My new favorite flour combo is to use whole wheat and bread flour (or add extra gluten). The dough is softer and chewier and amazing.
Frozen dough balls has worked brilliantly for us, because then I can make only as many as I need — and avoid eating as many as I can before they aren’t good anymore. 🙂
Marlo, to specify, do you roll them into balls, put on parchment, let it rise for 20 minutes and then stick in the freezer til froze and then put in a ziplock?
{Thanks Marlo for chiming back in with your experience and advice!} Marci – about your question, I’ve only ever made these with half whole wheat flour and they turned out great. 100% whole wheat flour is worth a try – might make them slightly dense so if it were me, I’d add about a tablespoon or two of vital wheat gluten for every cup of flour to mimic the properties of bread flour.
Hi Mel – Am hoping you are still following comments on this post! Thanks for what looks like a great recipe! I am contemplating making 200 of these (yes, I am apparently crazy!) for the wedding of my son & daughter-to-be. Do you think I could mix them, and basically complete steps 1-3, then freeze the dough balls? Am looking for time-saving ideas so they can be baked fresh a day or two before the wedding. Am wondering how long they can be frozen (if the concept is feasible). I am at best a novice breadmachine baker!
Hi Carol – yes, you are crazy! But I love that kind of crazy. I believe someone right above you in the comment thread gave a pretty detailed write-up of how they froze the dough balls and then boiled them straight from the freezer. That might help you a bit. Good luck!
Im really like your recipe. That bread is like meatball sometimes and i will try for make sure the taste.
Thanks for this recipe Mel – we LOVE these rolls!
I have been wanting to try freezing the dough, so that I could have them fresh in smaller quantities. I haven’t read through all the comments, so someone may have shared this already, but I tried it tonight and it worked like a charm!
I made the dough and froze them before the second rise in individual balls (wrapped in saran wrap, in a freezer bag). Then I popped them directly out of the freezer and into the boiling baking soda bath. I boiled them for about 6 total minutes until mostly thawed, then cut the tops, salted, and baked as directed. They were perfect! The shape was a little less than round because I wasn’t able to pinch the bottoms since they went into the bath frozen — but fresh from the oven pretzel rolls with only 10 min total prep helped me get over any misgivings I had about misshapen rolls. 🙂
Thanks again!
Love this! Thanks for detailing it for us!
I just stumbled onto your blog when I was looking for a great maple roasted pork tenderloin recipe the other night. I tried yours and it was fantastic! One success – so I tried your pretzel roll recipe for our Super Bowl party, tonight. I have a ton of yeast bread experience so I wasn’t daunted when I decided to double your recipe and freeze some for a future meal. They came out wonderfully and look just like your photos! We gobbled some up immediately with my home made chicken noodle soup. The rest will be devoured tonight as sandwich buns with my BBQ pulled pork. Thank you for sharing your love of cooking and baking! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Glad you found your way here, Heather! And I’m so happy the first two recipes were a hit!
I am DEFINETLY going to make these. Last summer i had pretzel rolls at a wedding. I didn’t even know they existed. It was like i was in food heaven. I am excited to try your recipe, I have enjoyed your website immensely.
Sorry, just noticed the recipe does state 8 cups. Totally my error. Thank you for the recipe.
Holy Moly! That’s a ton of flour! My dough is rising right now. I really wish I would have known how much flour these were going to take. I assumed when its starts with 2 cups that it would take 5 max., like most bun/roll recipes. I used up all my white flour (about 8 cups, lost count) and unfortunately had to start adding whole wheat. I finally stopped adding even though the dough was not pulling away from the sides and is way too sticky. Going to the store now to get more white flour and hoping after the rise, during the shaping, I can correct the stickiness with more white flour. 🙁
Im sure they will be fine and tasty, just really wish the recipe would have started at 8 cups of flour so I would have known.
Mel,
I just want you to know you are a dinner time hero around my house! I have tried so many of your recipes and they are all delicious! I have one question about these rolls, if you were going to freeze them for later use, where in the process would you do it? I am thinking of these for thanksgiving…
Thanks, Nicky! I’d probably freeze these after they bake and cool and then reheat them in a warm oven (after they thaw) for Thanksgiving.
Would it be possible to stage the making/baking in addition to Marlo’s advice? Could I boil the buns, cool and store them in the fridge (or freezer? or counter?) and bake on a later date? This way I could mostly make them one day, and just finish in the oven directly before eating. Do you have a recommendation?
I haven’t tried doing that, Kathy – but bread dough is pretty forgiving and I think it’s certainly worth a try. I’m not sure how the boiling in advance thing would work (since it partially cooks the bread dough)…good luck if you try it.
another option is to freeze them after you create the rolls and let them rest (I think there was an earlier discussion on this). I tried it – boiled the frozen dough balls for a little longer than fresh ones, added the salt, then baked, and they were nearly as good as fresh. The color was a little off, but they were still a big hit.
These are amazing and make great hamburger buns. Thanks. I love your stuff
Have you ever subbed half of the flour for whole wheat with these rolls?
Yep, I have, Jessica – worked really well; the rolls were slightly more dense than the all-white version but still delicious. I used white whole wheat which makes for a lighter roll than red whole wheat.
I ate a few pretzel rolls at GermanFest in Indianapolis this October which I really liked so I tried your Soft Pretzel Roll recipe, with a few modifications. Since I used skim milk, I added some non-fat plain yogurt. I also added a bit of buckwheat honey and used only 1 tsp of salt. I had to use about 9 1/2 cups of flour to get the consistency of dough that I wanted. I, like some of your other commenters, used a glaze of cholesterol-free egg and brown sugar. I still made only 16 rolls. The result was that I had to bake them 26 minutes but did they ever make a mean sandwich with brisket and spicy mustard. If I had made a larger number of smaller rolls, could I have gotten away with a shorter baking time?
Hey Rob – yes, I think if you make smaller rolls the baking time will be less. I made this recipe into nearly bite-sized little buns and it was significantly reduced.
In addition to Mel’s response to the last comment, it’s possible that the TYPE of flour was different. I just found out today that Unbleached flour produces a denser, moister product than bleached. Also the higher protein content of bread flour vs all purpose flour could’ve resulted in a dense chewy product. Just a thought. Stick with the brand and type of flour that works best for you!
I made these for about the 10th time yesterday (they’ve turned out great every time) and two weird things happened. First, when I placed the rolls in the water bath, they sunk – this had never happened before. After 10 or 15 seconds, they would float back to the top. Also, after baking, they didn’t really brown up and were pretty dense. The dough had risen (doubled in size as usual) so I don’t think the yeast was bad. My only guess is that I over-floured – that’s really the only variable – I double checked to make sure I didn’t miss one of the steps. Does that make sense?
If you’ve made them before with great success, my guess is what you suggested – that the dough was probably overfloured, especially if the baked rolls were overly dense.
Did you do anything special to get that reddish color and perfectly blistered crust? Steam?
Hi Bob – I didn’t do anything extra (not listed in the recipe). My oven crisped up the crust of the rolls like that after boiling the pretzel rolls and then baking.
I made these for the first time this weekend and they turned out great! Next time I am going to shape them like hotdog buns to serve with brats. Have you tried freezing the rolls?
Thanks!
I like to experiment in the kitchen and one of my more out-there ideas is for a beer-cheese pot pie (yes I’m from Wisconsin), with a pretzel bread crust. I have had zero luck finding any crust recipe like that. Could a dough like these rolls be rolled out to make a pie crust? What kind of modifications, if any, would be required? I’d like the cooked thickness to be in the 1/4-1/2 inch range.
I haven’t tried it that way, Jared – but I think this dough stands a good chance of working if you are looking for a bread crust (instead of a traditional pie crust). As long as the dough is well rested after rising the first time (punch it down and maybe separate it into the portion you want to roll out and let it rest for 10-15 minutes), the gluten should be relaxed enough to roll out to your desired thickness. If it keeps springing back while you roll it, it needs to rest a few minutes longer.
Good luck!
And by the way, warning: these are so addicting u will wanna only eat that all day long, including this late at night :-((
Oh my gosh!!!! SOO DELICIOUS! THANK YOU!! Just made these this afternoon. I went to bed late last night “studying” your recipe, I wanted to follow everything you said, I did ( almost everything. ..:0) I think I used nearly 10 cups, I lost count 🙁 my kitchenaid was acting up, I had to continue all by hand. I used 1 cup of my leftover yogurt whey and added 3 tbs powder milk. The dough was so perfect! I used my scale to make 3.5 oz round buns and some “pretzel” shape buns, I followed your video to shape the balls 🙂 you are so good. I did use egg white wash. …end of story: my family (and I) from now on only want this bread…thanks to you. Blessings to you and your family 🙂 Keila
Awesome, Keila! I’m so happy these worked out for you. Thanks for checking in to let me know!
I made these last night using my bread machine. I halved the recipe, they turned out great! My husband called me at work this morning wanting to know what the heck the heavenly rolls were that I made 🙂 apparently he had 2 as a midnight snack!! Thanks for the recipe
Thanks sooo much Mel!
The recipe was easy to follow. Although, at the 15 min mark had scary moment when a whiff of burning came out of the oven. I turned the trays around and over.
Again, thanks.
Thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe as well as a link on how to roll them for hamburger buns. I made these yesterday so I can make my husband a pretzel bun burger and I can’t wait for dinner tonight!! I have already eaten 2 of these rolls by themselves and they are so delicious – and they look beautiful!! Thank you again.
Do you think that the temperature of the milk/water could be affecting the dough? I didn’t measure the exact temperature of the liquids, just heated it up to what seemed warm enough, and I somehow ended up with dough that was still sticky after 9+ cups of flour. I’m not really sure what else could be going wrong! Thanks for any help!
Rhiannon – The temperature should be around 110 degrees if you have an instant read thermometer to help with that factor. Humidity and temperature of your kitchen (among other factors) can also make a difference. It’s not a huge issue as long as you get a dough that is soft and pliable (even if you have to add more flour than the recipe states).
I’m experiencing the same issue as Melissa–8+ cups of flour and still very sticky, soft dough. Any idea why she and I are having that problem, since no one else seems to have said anything about having it? Thanks again!
I’m not sure! It might be due to how different people measure flour. I mention this in a lot of my yeast recipes, but the exact flour amount will vary depending on a lot of factors and doesn’t matter as much as achieving a soft, supple dough. Did the rolls turn out?
Sticky dough could be caused by humidity especially if its a rainy day!
I just made these and they are baking in the oven as I type. I’m a sucker for scratch made stuff that doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for 12 hours. Here’s hoping they turn out. I actually ran out of white flour and ended up using about a cup and a half of wheat flour. Hopefully that won’t cause too much of an issue. Love your blog!!!
First of all I just have to tell you that I love your food! I’ve made so many of your recipes and they are awesome!
My question is that I made these rolls for the first time maybe 2 months ago and they came out perfect. I have made them twice since and they aren’t getting the nice golden color or rising the way they did the first time. I’m not that experienced as a baker to know what I’m doing wrong? I’m using a kitchen aid mixer to make them and haven’t done anything different that I can figure out???
Dana – The first things that come to mind is to make sure the dough isn’t overfloured – that can hinder a good rise. Also, if the oven racks have changed position in the oven, that can make a difference in how the rolls brown. Each oven is different but my rolls brown best in the top third of my oven. I hope that helps!
I made these for New Year’s with a nice, tangy mustard-butter and they were a huge hit! I’m going to make them again tomorrow for my husband’s bike team. I followed the recipe exactly and ended up with nice, chewy golden brown pretzel rolls! This time around, the only thing I would do differently is to make the balls a wee bit smaller than I did in round one. Cheers dears!
Hi Mel,
These have become an instant classic with my family. I’m asked to bring them to every family gathering.
I’ve tried a few variations: an egg wash on the outside is not as good as you make them. Part or all whole wheat is not as good as white flour like you make them. Active dry yeast works just fine.
In short – I’ve come right back to the way you make them. Thank you so much for sharing!
Mel, can you say what Bosch model you have? Not sure I’ll be able to find your
reply if there is one. But, thanks.
Sweetpea – I have a Bosch Universal (800 watts).
I just made these for the first (and not last) time. They are great! I have a couple of tips for those of you who experienced the sticking. After I pulled them from the boiling water. I set them on a paper towel while I placed the next couple in the boiling water. Then I transferred the ones from the paper towel to a greased cookie sheet before they could stick to the paper towel. I think the wetness is what’s causing so many people to have them stick, and the paper towel takes just enough water away. I have been wanting to make these for a while, and I’m so glad I finally worked up the nerve. They are not hard at all. If you can make rolls, you can make these. The boiling step is not as hard as it sounds. Make them!
I’ve tried a couple pretzel roll/bun recipes and yours turned out the easiest, tastiest, and best looking of them all!
Hi Mel! I made these last night, but I’m wondering if you can give me some pointers. The dough rose fine but was so super sticky. I did read the instructions that the dough should be firm, less sticky and not over floured. I thought 7.5 cups had it right, but when I went to roll the dough it was super sticky and I was unable to roll them on a floured surface. So….being a newbie, and not sure what else to do I added flour until it was soft and not sticky..about 3 more cups. The rolling was still a challenge even though the dough was softer and less sticky but I persevered. The buns turned out pretty well but I have a lot of dough left and wheni finished first 16 it was nearly midnight and I was exhausted. So can I make the rest today even though the dough has been in the fridge overnight? Can I freeze the dough to make later? I also made the rolls just over 2 ounces. ….do you make yours larger? Any suggestions would be appreciated as I am really trying all new things through your recipes and I’m loving being more adventurous but also know I’m out of my element at times. Thanks Mel!
Melissa – yes, you can definitely still use the dough if it has been refrigerated. I haven’t weighed the dough for these rolls so I don’t know ounces for sure but based on their size, I think mine are probably more like 3-4 ounces each.
Hi Mel,
Great recipe! I sort of halved the recipe: only 3/4 cup of milk and full amount of yeast. Everything else was half. I also used 1/3 whole wheat, 2/3 white flour.
Great advice on pinching the bottoms a little to tighten them up before they go in the water. I pulled them out of the water with a wok strainer which drains very efficiently.
Have you tried coating them with a little egg wash before baking? That might be nice.
Great web site!
Hi Steve – I haven’t tried coating them with an egg wash but it’s a great idea to get a crackly, shiny top! Love the idea of using a strainer to get them out of the water.
Do you know if I can refrigerate or freeze the shaped balls until ready to bake?
Jewls – definitely worth a try. I haven’t done it myself but other types of yeast dough freezes pretty well. Good luck if you try it!
I’m brand new at making homemade dough but love the idea. I have now made these pretzel rolls and the bagels. Both turned out fine but were pretty dense and didn’t have the light texture I love in fresh bread. By any chance, do you have an idea why the bread could be turning out like that? I’ve been using my kitchen aid to mis the dough and Fleischmann’s rapid rise yeast… Love your blog!
Jena – Is it possible you could have overfloured? That would be my guess or perhaps they needed a longer rising time. Let me know how your next batch turns out after using less flour!
where and how can these be purchased?
Made per the recipe with fantastic results. Brushed with butter post oven. Wondering if using melted butter in place of the canola would upset the chemistry any. Anyone tried this?
Do you think Rice Milk or water would work instead of milk? DS has severe dairy, soy, and egg allergies.
Hi Tori – I’ve never used rice milk so I can’t say for sure on that one. I wouldn’t substitute water – the milk helps add a different sort of texture and flavor to the dough (helps tenderize it a bit, too). You would have to experiment with milk substitutes; worth a try. Good luck!
I just made these for the first time tonight (followed the recipe exactly), but mine don’t look anything like your pictures. Did you do an egg wash on yours to get that rich, shiny brown crust? Mine are still very tasty, but I over-baked the first 8 because I kept waiting for them to turn that rich brown color. . . Thanks!
Mary – I don’t put an egg wash on them but I have noticed that my rolls brown differently/better based on the oven rack position. In my oven – and it will differ with each oven – my rolls brown better in the upper third of the oven. Using convection mode, which I do not, can also make a difference and sometimes rolls won’t brown as well on convection. I hope your next batch turns out perfect!
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Thanks for the recipe! Wanted to show off my modification. Using 12oz of dough and large ramekin, we made pretzel bread bowls to serve our beer-cheese soup in.
Made these today and they are wonderful. My kids love them. I took them to a meeting and everyone told me I was ruining their low-carb diets and I shouldn’t bring them again because they are too good to resist. They were actually pretty easy and not too time consuming. I’m serving them tonight with soup but I’m going to make burgers with them tomorrow. Yummmm!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe and in particular for the instructions on rolling a perfect ball! I have tried several times over the years to make pretzel rolls from different recipes and have never had any that came out just the way I wanted them to so I had always stuck with pretzel bites. These came out perfect!
My boyfriend and I gave these a try yesterday as a reward for a weekend of hard work. AMAZING! We sprinkled half of the batch with chili salt and the other half with garlic salt. It gave them a really nice kick. We dipped them in honey dijon and German mustard just to try them and were so excited that we fried up some eggs to make sandwiches. They are gone now and we can’t wait to do it again. Consider your site bookmarked!
I made these today (4th recipe from you in 2 days!), and they are so good! More labor intensive than other rolls, but so worth it! Your step by step instructions were perfect! I used the recommendation to dry the rolls with a tea towel after boiling them and before putting them on a sheet sprayed with cooking spray. No sticking at all. I made 8 large hamburger rolls and 24 dinner rolls. They won’t last long here! Now…off to finish my grocery list so I can make more of your recipes this week! 😉
Thank you, Thank you for this delicious recipe! I’ve seen recipes for pretzel rolls on a few blogs but decided to go with yours as it seemed the most detailed and instructive. I made these last night for a family party and they were absolutely wonderful. You’re right, rockstar status! The instructions and pictures were super helpful and they really weren’t that hard to make (coming from someone who isn’t a bread maker).
i made these to go with your roasted cauliflower soup (which was awesome too, btw), and they were so great! the kids loved them and started chowing down on them with the leftover white cheddar we had from the soup before i could even get the soup on the table. they were so wonderful (and seriously amazing hot with the white cheddar!). i was surprised there were any left after the meal, but the kids snuck them for breakfast and let me sleep in. everybody wins! 🙂
I was wondering if these can be made and then freeze? My husband loves this type of rolls for sandwiches, and it hard to find at my bakery.
Lori – I’ve frozen these after I’ve baked them and let them cool and they thaw and reheat very well.
Nevermind! Just saw there was a tutorial! I’m going to check it out for next time. 🙂
Mel-How on Earth do your pretzel roll balls look so perfect?? Mine look lumpy and bumpy.
I know there has to be a trick to this and that my impatience is probably the problem. 🙂
So, ive made pretzel rolls before only I shaped mine differently. Tonight I was talking to a friend about homemade breads and he said there used to be a restaurant in town that made pretzel bread, not rolls. More like loaves of bread. He said it had a soft interior and not too crusty on top. Sounded kind of boring to me, but I googled Pretzel Bread and came across this recipe. Your rolls look better than mine. I found that when you shape them into a knotted shape, you can get soggy areas where the water bath pools in the crevices. So I think your smooth ones are best! Anyway, do you think I could divide this dough into say, eights instead of 16ths, and boil the minimum amount of time to keep the crust from being too chewy, and make small loaves instead of rolls? Hmmmm….worth trying or possibly a huge waste of time?
Hi Lori – yes, I definitely think you could make these into small loaves. Sounds like a great idea!
Mel:
We LOVE the pretzel rolls. I know this is rudimentary, but how do you turn them I to the croutons to go with the cauliflower cheddar soup?
Thank you!!
Catherine – I cut the pretzel rolls into cubes, drizzle them very, very lightly with olive oil, toss with a bit of salt and pepper, throw them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until they are golden, tossing once or twice. It takes about 15-20 minutes I’d say (although keep checking so they don’t burn!).
Why is the milk listed twice and not as 3 1/2 c warmed?
Janet – I’m sorry but I’m confused by your question. The milk is listed in the ingredients just once (as 2 cups). The total amount of liquid with water is 3 1/2 cups. Does that help?
Being a complete novice in the world of yeast, I’ve now made these twice and they came out amazing both times. We could not believe how many we all ate at one sitting! So couple questions about them. Can I use this recipe to make the pretzel bites you’ve posted before? And after I boil the dough, how long can they sit there on the pan before I bake them? I like them best right out of the oven so I’m wondering if I can boil them in advance and have them sitting on the counter til I’m ready to bake them.
Marci – so glad these are working out for you. In answer to your question, while I haven’t tried it myself, yes, I’m sure you could make smaller “bites” out of them. I wouldn’t leave them on the pans longer than about 30-45 minutes. They tend to rise too high and then completely deflate in the oven.
Hi Mel!
Love the recipe. My family and I just had them for dinner and they were delicious! However, we had a very VERY difficult time getting them off of the greased parchment paper. We followed the recipe to the letter and are experienced bakers so we are puzzled as to how this happened.
You have very kindly responded to every other issue except for people who have the buns stick to the pan. Is this an issue you were having as well? Is there any way to fix that if we make the recipe in the future. Thanks and you have a lovely blog!
Hi Alison – I haven’t had the sticking issue when greasing the parchment paper so to be quite honest, I’m not sure what to tell you to do differently. I use parchment paper from King Arthur Flour that is slightly thicker than the roll from the store, in case that might make a difference. Other than that, I grease the parchment liberally with cooking spray and these rolls have always popped right off. The baking soda/sugar in the water is what makes them tend to stick (I made the mistake once of forgetting to grease the parchment when I made these and the chewy pretzel bites which is a similar recipe and the entire bottom of the rolls tore off after baking). I haven’t made a conscious effort to do this but maybe I tend to do it anyway – but perhaps really draining the excess water after boiling from the rolls before placing them on the baking sheet would help too. Good luck!
I was sure I had messed these up several times (did the dough rise too long, did I overcook them, ect). Nope,they were actually simple to make and absolutely delicious! My husband already asked me to make them again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and excellent instructions!
I’m going to try these in my bread machine on the dough setting. I will let you know how they come out.
Hi Mel – I LOVE your recipes. I have made many things from your recipe list and love everything I’ve tried.
I made the pretzel rolls tonight. I followed your recipe exactly and most of them turned out great! A few of them were kind of “doughy” still after baking.
I’m wondering if they didn’t boil long enough or perhaps I didn’t bake them long enough?
Do you have any insight on what I might try the next time I make them to get away from the doughy-ness?
Merry Christmas!
Thanks!
Melody
Hi Melody – I think if they were overly doughy it might be because the needed a longer baking time. Even a minute or so could help (also, I’ve found that the longer I boil them, the doughier they are so I wouldn’t boil them any longer than the recipe states). Good luck if you try them next time!
With 3 1/2 cups of liquid, I had to add A LOT more than 8 cups of flour. And dividing it into 16 pieces still gave me giant (like bread-bowl-sized) rolls. They tasted great, but is that how they are supposed to be?
Michelle – yes, that is how the recipe is written. Flour amounts can vary widely based on location and altitude and even how each person measures the flour (in yeast bread recipes I usually give the flour amounts as a guideline and suggest going by the look and feel of the dough more than hard fast measurements). Sounds like you could make more like 20 rolls with your batch of dough.
Hi Mel! I always make your lion house dinner rolls for Thanksgiving, but when I saw this recipe, I KNEW they had to be part of the feast this year. Don’t worry, I still made the lion house rolls, too, because they are so stinking fantastic, and I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without them. Anway, these pretzel rolls are A-MA-ZING. I had no leftovers 🙁 and a couple people even dubbed them the best item to grace the dinner table. The step-by-step instructions for forming the rolls are so helpful, too. That’s one of the reasons I love your blog so much! Thank you for sharing this recipe. You’re the best!
Thanks for the recipe! I make a half batch and either make 8 large or 16 small rolls (the smaller size is perfect for potlucks). Also, I’ve modified the recipe slightly to use active dry yeast instead of instant.
Hello Mel!
Well, I made these rolls again for Thanksgiving and I made them as rolls, not hamburger buns. They came out great! Everyone loved them. We had other rolls at dinner, but none of them got touched!
After rolling them into balls, I put them on a piece of plastic rap sprayed well with cooking spray. After rising, they lifted off easily for the boil bath, so I did not do the “pinch technique” you suggest since they were still well ball shaped with slightly flattened bottoms (could be a good start toward my hamburger buns!)
I did some research online on yeast, and came up with this info I thought your readers might find helpful.
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EXPIRATION DATE & TESTING YEAST
Expiration Date (printed on the yeast’s package) – Yeast does expire. Yeast will last longer than the date printed on the packet if it is kept in the refrigerator. It will last even longer in the freezer (for up to a year or even more).
Testing Yeast – Sugar is used in testing yeast. To test yeast: Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the yeast when stirring it into the water to dissolve. If it foams and bubbles within 10 minutes, you know the yeast is alive and active.
*******
I used my old, outdated yeast dated Nov. 1, 2012, that has been kept in the freezer ever since I bought it, and in the jar it came in. I tested it, and it worked fine. Started noticeably foaming and bubbling in about 2 minutes, and had a full 1/4″ of foam on top in about 5 minutes. The rolls rose fast and high too!
The moral of the story is: Keep your yeast in the freezer, and if in doubt, give it a test. It is either active or not, so if it gets a good “head” pretty fast, it will be good for the job. If you see little or no action after 10 minutes, you’ll need to make a trip to the store. (;<)
Hello again . I am replying to my own above post . I made these pretzels again and followed the recipe exactly as before .The only thing different that I did was ..as I took each pretzel out of the soda water bath with the slotted spatula I carefully rolled it onto some clean tea towels to absorb the liquid. I super greased the pans and when they were done they hardly stuck. I found that out of the three pans I used to bake them ,(because they are so big) the non stick one did not stick ……..so that takes care of the sticking problem for me ……..:) Soaking up the excess liquid , greasing the pan well AND buying two more non stick cookie sheets . I hope this helps somebody out there with their buns sticking to the baking sheet problem . What an awesome recipe this is . 🙂
I made these buns and they are terrific.They also have become mine and hubby’s favorite breakfast toast when sliced in two. I have 1 major problem and this is that the buns are sticking to the baking sheet when done and I have to scrape them off and lose part of each bun in the process.I do grease the pan before putting them on the sheet as I don’t have access to parchment paper. I really don’t know what to do as they always stick .Can you help me? Am I greasing the pan to heavily? or is my oven too hot? (425 degrees) or are they in the oven too long? ( 18 -20 minutes) .Thank you so much for an absolutely amazing recipe.They really do taste like they’ve come out of a bake shop and to tell you the truth ..even if I end up having to scrape my heart out getting each one off the sheet it is worth it believe me . 🙂 ….Paulette
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful online recipe. I found pretzel buns last year at my local Costco. And I was hooked. They’re now my all time favorite bread-food and I was determined to bring some to my relatives this holiday season. Unfortunately, this year the stores didn’t offer any…then I stumbled across your website while searching for these buns. Your recipe seemed so well thought out you unknowingly convinced me to try my hand at baking this Thanksgiving.
I’ve never made bread in my life but, apparently, I knocked the buns out of the park! Everyone couldn’t believe I made these soft chewy morsels by hand (Literally! Kneading dough always looked so easy on t.v. I now have a new appreciation for how people made bread without machines.)
Anyways, thank you for providing such a simple recipe even a novice like me could turnout an impressive first-time batch.
Happy Holidays!!!
~dan
Hi Mel, I made these tonight by hand, and what a disappointment. They were flat and looked like hockey pucks. I followed the recipe step by step, except for adding a bit of honey (i like the dough a bit sweeter), and they looked nice and fluffy until the water bath. They came out of the water w/ a yellowish crust and just didn’t puff up during baking at all.
I wonder what went wrong?
rikki – sorry these didn’t work out for you. Is there a chance you added too much flour? That and boiling for too long can make it so they don’t want to puff up very well during baking.
I plan on making these for my family for Thanksgiving, and I was wondering, when you make them ahead and freeze them, how do you defrost and warm them?
Hi Devra – I just defrost at room temperature and then warm them lightly in the microwave (a minute or so on 50% power). Good luck!
Sorry, just saw your earlier comment about that!
Have you tried freezing the rolls after they are cooked?
I couldn’t wait to make these as we LOVE the ones from Costco. They were very tasty, although pretty tough on the exterior. Maybe I put them in the boiling water too long. It didn’t stop us from eating them! (That’s all my kids ate at dinner. :/)
I don’t have a thermometer so is there any other way to figure out the warm temperature of the milk/water? Does it have to be a specific warm temperature or can I just use medium warm from the sink (water)?
Victoriya – it doesn’t necessarily need to be a super specific temp as long as it isn’t ultra-hot (otherwise it can kill the yeast). Medium warm water from the tap should work fine.
thank you…..well gonna try it, what can it hurt???????
Hey Mel! These were awesome. Followed the recipe- like always- and your recipes never disappoint! Had them with your Hearty Beef Stew and we were all happy! My toddler didn’t like the “gravy” on the stew but my 1 yr old gobbled all of it up! Everyone loved these rolls. I thought about sharing some with my neighbors, but I don’t want to… 🙂
Mel – I have to first say that I love your blog. I have tried several of your recipes and have loved every one. You make food that speaks to my heart! I have shared your blog with all of my sisters and tons of friends. We have had lengthy conversations about your food.
With all of that said I have to tell you about a sandwich I recently ate. It was shaved turkey, red onion and cranberry cream cheese on a pretzel roll. It was absolutely devine and when I saw this pretzel roll recipe I thought “I know what I will be doing with my Thanksgiving leftovers.” Thank you again for taking the time to share your passion for food with me.
Thanks, Mel, for your reply.
Never really thought the yeast, once it starts off like gang-busters, might not be able to stay strong for the long haul.
The only thing with not flattening the dough balls, is I really want hamberger buns, not just rolls.
Can you suggest how I might adapt the recipe to achieve that? and how much dough in oz. I should use for each hamburger bun?
Thanks!
Hi Noel – I think you could still use them for hamburger buns if they look like the ones in my picture (tall and fluffy). But if you really want them flatter, you’ll have to try gently pushing them down just a tiny bit. Too much and they will turn out like your first batch, I’m afraid. I didn’t measure out the dough in ounces, sorry, so I’m not sure how many ounces each dough ball should be.
Can I make these the day before and bake them the next day???
JoAnn – I haven’t tried that but most yeast breads/rolls can be prepared that way. Good luck if you try it!
Oh, I just realized I left this out.
I did make a egg-water wash and brushed that on then sprinkled with Kosher salt just before baking.
Hello Mel,
I have been wanting to make pretzel rolls ever since Windy’s and Sonic came out with their buns (haven’t tried them), so I went scurrying over the internet, and found your recipe. I didn’t have such good luck, and I am not a stranger to cooking and bread making, so I don’t quite know what went wrong.
I put some photos up for you at this location:
https://plus.google.com/photos/106982244175925572414/albums/5943231090201725377?authkey=CIHA7bvQuuL-3QE
I wanted hamburger buns to use for pulled pork, so I also found some hamburger bun recipes (looking for how to shape), and instead of leaving the dough balls as balls, I flattened them out into approx. 3″ rounds. I made some with 3-oz. of dough, and some with 5-oz. of dough, and I did not due the “bottom pinch” as you described. Instead, I used the shinny side of freezer paper and lightly sprayed it with cooking spray, and they came off easily when it was time for the water bath.
I used Fleischmann’s Bread Machine yeast, and even though is is a year out of date, I keep it in the freezer, so it fired up like gang-busters when added to the warm water and sugar. Once my dough was made (I used a Kitchen Aid Mixer) my dough didn’t even take an hour to more then double in size. The dough was slightly sticky, but rolled easily on the counter top using your method in the “Shaping Perfect Rolls” tutorial.
I let the flattened dough balls rise for maybe 20 minutes before I did the water bath. I made the 3-oz. ones first, did the water bath about 45 seconds on each side (water boiling all the time), and only waited a few minutes before getting them into the oven. As you can see, they didn’t rise very much, though they came out soft and tasted good.
Next I tried 5oz. of dough thinking that would solve the problem. This time I let them rise about an hour before the water bath, and only 30 seconds on each side in the bath this time. I then put them on the baking sheet and let them rise some more, maybe another 30 minutes before baking them. They did rise some each time above, and I thought they would rise more (and to the right size) in the oven. Didn’t really happen.
These did come out higher, but sort of “pointed” tops, and the dough seemed to spread out more then rise (going from a 3″ round to a 4″).
My buns seem to have a more “muddled” surface (from the water bath I guess) then your rolls do.
OK! Will be looking for your suggestions! Putting the pulled pork in the freezer until I can get these buns right!
Hi Noel – well, it’s always hard to say what went wrong exactly, especially if you adjusted the recipe/method a bit. My first inclination is to say don’t flatten the dough balls. By doing so, they’ll never get puffy like you hoped for and is probably one of the main reasons they stayed flattened after boiling and baking. This dough is quite different than other yeast hamburger bun recipes that aren’t boiled (even the texture of the dough is different). Also, even though your yeast proofed and looked “ok” the fact that it was expired can definitely impact it being effective for the 2nd rise. Expired yeast may proof just fine but it doesn’t have enough oomph and power to effectively get the dough through all the rises and the baking. Those two factors alone (not flattening the rolls and using non-expired yeast) could definitely help. I’d encourage you to make the recipe exactly like in the step-by-step and the way I posted it and see if you have better luck. Let me know if you try them again and if you have any other questions. Good luck!
Mel, great recipe! tried these several times already. Have you ever tried making a jalepeno cheese pretzel roll?
jenny van allen – I haven’t tried that variation but it sounds delicious!
I made these delicious rolls and they were fantastic! They looked so professional and were not difficult to make. Thanks for the great photos. I’m inspired.
I’ve made pretzel rolls in the past and they taste great and look good but not great. I can’t get mine this even brown color like yours. Do you use an egg wash? Do you turn your pans mid-bake? Also, I just made these the other day and put them in a bread bag but they are now damp. I thought I cooled them completely. How do you store your breads? Thanks!
Dana – I don’t use an egg wash and I don’t turn the baking pans. I have noticed that some of my boiled breads (like these and bagels) get a bit wet when enclosed in a bag. I still do it anyway (I’m usually freezing them) just because I haven’t found a great alternative.
I just got done baking these, and they smell amazing. However, they are sticking terribly to the parchment paper. 🙁 Half of the roll is ripping up when trying to remove them. I am guessing I was supposed to lightly grease the paper?? Also, it appears that your rolls have an egg wash on them, as mine did not come out so shiny. Otherwise, this was a great, easy-to-follow recipe, and I am looking forward to eating these with our rootbeer pulled pork tonight. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Also, after re-reading my comment, I realized all of my grammatical errors! Embarrassing! 🙂 I should also thank you for the chocolate cake and magical frosting! The cake was fabulous, and that’s what is most important to the birthday boy! Right?!:)
I’m super sad! I have had success with all of your rolls before, but when I tried to make these for my sons birthday dinner they didn’t rise? I have no idea what I did? But perhaps my milk and water was too hot? I warmed them on the stove with a thermometer, but maybe it ended up being too hot. I may try them again, but not today. How did you warm your milk.
Jen – I usually warm my milk/water in the microwave.
I did it! I am eating a warm pretzel roll fresh from the oven. Delicious! The whole time I was making them, I kept asking myself: “Why did you ever attempt to make this recipe? This one is out of your league.” But they look just like yours . . .well pretty much like yours. 🙂 They are so tasty. I did overcome my fear of twisting the bottoms after raising and this procedure wasn’t hard at all. A wonderful Mel original — you rock, Mel!
Made these today and hello! Amazing is right! I froze half after the proof and before the boil and I’ll boil them for an extra minute right from the freezer when we’re ready for more, as I’ve done with soft pretzels in the past. I can’t say enough how much we loved these rolls!
hello yum!! i made these the day that you posted the recipe. i have never made a dough that required boiling, but they were awesome!! the crusty crunch when i split them apart…mmm
my family was happy too. seriously you’ve got all the other fellow food bloggers beat when it comes to most everything, especially bread!!
These look absolutely awesome! I have not had good experiences working with yeast, but I am definitely going to put these on my to-do list. Hopefully I’ll have better luck with these! So yummy looking.
Wow, these are awesome Mel, and I can’t explain clearly how quickly I’ll be making these!
I just made these and they were wonderful. . . But they became one with the parchment paper. I’d recommend spraying your parchment with nonstick if you like roll bottoms!!
OMG! These are SOOOOOOOOOO good! I made them earlier this week with your cheesy broccoli soup! Thanks 🙂
These were awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, scrolled through the comments but didn’t see this had already been asked, but can this recipe be halved? Thank you!
runnerpai – definitely worth a try (halving the recipe) – most bread recipes halve just fine although I haven’t specifically tried it with this one. Good luck!
First I have to say I love your site, I always find the best things to try. These rolls look delish – this will be on my to do list but I’m not a bread maker but I’m going to give it a try – your tutorial is fantastic! I love seeing you ALL over Tasty Kitchen – you are a rockstar!!
Totally felt like a rockstar today! I cooked these tasty hits with my new apron, and channelled Mel. Thank you so much – you’re now a household word here, describing food to look forward to. 🙂
These look fantastic! I got one of those Wendy’s burgers yesterday just for the bun (true story). I’ll have to make these.
I too love anything pretzel! I’ve made the cheese stuffed big pretzels, pretzel bites, pretzels buns and now I will try these pretzel rolls! I also ruined a Calphalon 4.5 qt stock pot making pretzels but, I just deemed it my “pretzel pot.” Thanks for the great “how to”! ~ MamaGing.com
That looks absolutely delish!! Going to try this very soon…your food photography is superb 🙂
These are amazing! Yum! I will definitely make them again.
I made these for dinner tonight – they were fantastic! I only had non-instant yeast and hadn’t read the comments yet so didn’t know about adding the extra amount, but they turned out fine (not as round as yours, but that could have been for a bunch of reasons). Very tasty. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Oh my goodness! You must be reading my mind I can hardly believe it! Kevin and I were in Chicago last week and ate at the amazing Weber Grill Restaurant where they served mini pretzel rolls. Kevin was begging me to find a recipe and low and behold here you are! 🙂 They served them with butter and with a cheddar butter which was my favorite. I will definitely try these for sure!
Mel, I have a recipe for you. Is there a way to email it to you?
Hi Sacha – you can send it through on the contact form here. Thanks!
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/contact-form
I got super brave and made these with 3-4 cups whole white wheat flour and the rest was all purpose bleached. They turned out amazing. I want to give them to strangers just to show off how amazing I am. Thanks Mel!
Great Recipe!! Delicious!! Thank you!!
I made these yesterday and we had them for dinner as part of pulled pork and coleslaw sandwiches. They got raves! It’s my first bread baking success! Thanks!
Hi Mel,
I just made these — they’re baking in the oven right now!
Question: Do they freeze well?
Thank you!
Catherine
Hi Catherine – yes, once the rolls are baked and cooled, you can freeze them in ziploc bags. Defrosted and warmed a bit – they are delicious!
Intimidated! The tutorial is such an encouragment. I’m really hesitant about pinching th bottoms of the rolls after they rise. I have always tiptoed carefully to place your “raised rolls” in the oven. Would it be possilbe to pinch the bottoms of the rolls before they rise? I thought maybe I would do this with most of the rolls and then leave a few to try your expert method of pinching after rising. Is this a bad idea? Should I just nervously, holding my breathe try pinching after they have risen? And, if that fails, can I let them re-rise a second time to start over or will they be ruined by a second rising?
Hi Sheila – if you are worried about deflating the rolls by pinching then try to get them into a very nice, round ball before they rest. The reason I pinch the bottom seam after they rest is because invariably when I pick them up off the parchment, they get a bit misshapen. And yes, you can always let them rise again!
I love love love soft pretzels! I’ve tried pretzel rolls and they were good, but kind of heavy to use for sandwiches. I can’t wait to try your recipe!!
These are almost enough to get me into the kitchen right now (it’s bedtime). Definitely going to try these!
Mel, thanks for the advice about the active dry yeast. I then made these cute rolls this afternoon. They don’t look quite as perfect as yours but they taste awesome! So much fun to make!
I’m just starting to make these right now. Looking at the recipe there is no mention of allowing time for the initial yeast mixture to rise a bit before adding flour. Is that how the recipe is or should I give it a few minutes?
No way! Now these are just the best, Mel. Sign me up for this Sunday project! Printing your recipe to try soon. Thanks for sharing!
This looks so good! I have some sourdough starter that I need to use. How would I incorporate it into this recipe?
TIA!
Mel, I LOVE pretzel rolls! Yours look beautiful in the pictures. Thanks for the recipe!
I will be making these tomorrow!!
I couldn’t wait to try these, so I just did, and I am eating one right now! DELICIOUS. Thanks for the great recipe! I’m sure I will make them again many times.
Sara, I was about to throw out some Calphalon pots that were losing their nonstick finish when someone reminded me that they have a lifetime warranty. I sent my pots in about a week ago, and I’m hopeful that they will replace them since I used them correctly and the finish still came off. Hopefully you haven’t thrown your out yet!
You have me drooling at the keyboard and craving a soft warm pretzel!
I have been on a pretzel making kick lately! Perfect timing on this post! I actually just made pretzels yesterday and thought I should make rolls! Now I’m super motivated to do so! I’m not quite sure mine would come out as perfect looking as yours though!! Awesome!
I’ve never seen such a thing! They look so good! Thanks for the pictures, makes it less intimidating for beginner bakers.:)
I am so making these. Does it matter if you use whole or low fat milk? What kind did you use in the recipe? They look absolutely delish.
Hi Beth – I used 1% milk.
Sara – that’s a really good question. I use stainless pots and haven’t ever had a problem (making these and bagels) but I really wouldn’t want anyone to ruin a pot! My pots are pretty inexpensive Farber stainless steel pots if that helps.
I can’t wait to try these! My NYC-raised husband grew up on pretzel rolls and we can’t get them now that we live out west. Thank you!! Big question: I was on a homemade pretzel kick a few years back and destroyed my best (and most expensive!) Calphalon pot with the baking soda bath. It stripped the finish off from the water line down. I’ve been afraid to do a baking soda bath again for fear of losing another pot. Is basic stainless going to survive? Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! My husband loves the pretzel rolls from Costco and always asks me if I can make them…now the answer will be ‘YES!’ Thank you so much for sharing!
Are they better than your pretzel bites? Because my taste buds and love handles are hooked on those things 🙂
It may only be my computer, but is anyone else having problems printing the recipe? It pulls up a new page but it’s blank. 🙁
These look YUMMY!!!!
Hi Ciera – I just tried to print and it worked fine for me. Try it again and if you still have issues, let me know. Thanks!
Hi Mel, love you website, started exploring it just a couple of months ago. We seem to have a lot in common, from loving to cook all the way down to husbands named Brian who love Brazilian food–good thing I found a picture of yours on the website, was starting to wonder if mine had a double life!
Pretzel rolls look amazing, will definitely try…..
But my love for you and your website are not what finally inspired me to comment. It was anger. I’ve been mad for days that your children would argue over the remains of GREEN LENTIL CURRY SOUP! I guess our similarities had to end somewhere. Well, you definitely can’t have my husband, but maybe you’d like to trade children??
Love pretzel rolls! So excited to try these. For a little treat, I like to eat them dipped in butter and cinnamon/sugar.
Thanks for the recipe!!
I can’t wait to try these! I’ve made a couple of recipes for pretzel rolls (1 was ok, 1 was good), but I’m still on the look out for something perfect! I love the color on these…I’m guessing the milk in the recipe helps with that?
I think I’ll try making these by hand instead of in the kitchen aid…the dough might be a little bulky for that.
These are complete perfection! I have a version of pretzel rolls on my blog, but I totally want to cheat on them with your recipe!
I have bought these at a bakery, and we loved them. I never thought you could make them look that good at home. Thanks Mel!
I was intimidated by pretzel rolls, but also felt like a rock star when they came out looking like pretzel rolls! I will definitely try your recipe.
Another great recipe! I will be making these this afternoon to eat with one of your lasagna recipes. Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes and for making our lives easier!
These look fantastic! Looking forward to making them! Of course I don’t have instant yeast in the house but regular yeast. Do I just follow the directions on the jar and then add it to the recipe?
Hi Missy – if you don’t have instant yeast, you can substitute active dry (increase by about 1/2 teaspoon) and proof it in the warm milk/water before using it in the recipe. Basically you don’t want to throw the yeast in with all the other ingredients until it has proofed and gotten bubbly and foamy.
Thank you so much for this tip!!
I have been asked to make pretzels from your recipe, three Saturdays in a row. They are literally gone minutes after coming out of the oven. I am going to try these this afternoon. Hopefully, they will last for a few lunches throughout the week!
These look so delicious! Thank you for the pictures. They really help to make it look more doable. And the little hand is too cute!
I love making pretzel rolls. Mmmm. They’re so perfect. These look beautiful and delicious. Can’t wait to give them a try!
Yay! I just tried pretzel rolls for the first time this summer and loved them! I was so hoping you’d find a good recipe and share it, since your recipes are always my favorite! I will definitely be making these.